A Practice for Showing Devotion to Your Body

This past weekend was my annual September women’s retreat at Camp Friendship just outside Prince George. Nineteen powerful, inspiring and radiant women came together in nature to laugh, practice, breathe, dance, eat, meditate, ceremony, explore and connect deeply into the Divine Feminine. We kept our hearts soft and open, we honoured our bodies, we revered each women’s unique gifts, and held sacred the wisdom of each other and the great mother Earth.

I feel beyond blessed to be able to share sacred Shakti teachings within such an incredible community ~ I am so grateful for the power of sisterhood!

One of the many practices we explored was a very simple and divinely delicious self massage. The Ayurvedic system calls this Abyhanga. The first practice of the day, self massage is a devoted expression of self-love. It is also a way to detoxify the body’s largest organ (the skin), stimulate your body’s energetic channels so your energy flows freely, and revitalizes the mind preparing you for your day. And it feels amazing!

Here are the basics – remember to breathe deeply throughout:

Begin at the head. Massage the scalp and do a little hair pulling to release the fascia around the skull and face

Sweep your fingers across the face, from the midline outwards with your first 2 finger. Move from the hairline to the lower jaw

Gentle rub the throat and hum a couple of times

Massage the back of the neck, the shoulders and as far as you can reach on your upper back

Knead the arms. Use softer circular motions at the elbows and wrists. Massage the entire hand right to the finger tip. Repeat on other side

With flat palms, make circular motions across the front of the body including the breasts. Large clockwise circles around the abdominal area

Rub the side ribs, waist and hips

Rub the kidney area getting it nice and warm

Make a loose fist and pound the buttocks and thighs, or rub briskly with your hand if you prefer

Massage & knead the legs. Soft circular motions around the knees. Press into the back midline of the calves.

Massage the feet – linger here, it feels so good! Lots of acupressure and reflexology points here. Repeat on other side

When complete, shake out the hands, close your eyes and take several deep breaths savouring the experience and the feeling of energy running freely in your body.

To see how I do my morning self massage, check out this video.

Why not make this a part of your morning routine? Try it for a few days and send me a note to tell me about your experience and how this practice changes your day.

love & pranams,

carla

PS. Would you like to join me on a 3 day women’s retreat outside of Prince George? 2019 dates are March 28-31, 2019 and Sept 12-15, 2019. Reserve your spot early, these retreats almost always sell out!